A Solace In The Silence - Part One
by Fallen Grace
Summary: This is a sort of strange fic that I'm actually rather fond of, no matter how bad it may be, because it's fairly original. Please, R/R! It won't take all that long!
1. Default Chapter Title

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A Solace In The Silence 

Part One

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by Grace

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A/N: This is just...strange. I can never tell exactly how dumb what I write is, so I'm asking everybody – R/R? Please? Tell me, should I continue this? I'd kind of like to, I have plans for it... Um, well, sorry to all you Cho/Harry shippers... I hope you like this. I REALLY hope you like this. Thank you so much for reading it! And I hope I don't confuse anybody. Just telling you right now, it's from two different POV's, and there are BIG spoilers from GoF in here. Thanks again...

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Do you ever just feel so _cut off_ from your life? Like you're running on empty and waiting to crash? I do. Quite often. It isn't a pleasant sensation, to say the least. 

That's the feeling I enjoyed one particular Saturday morning in June. I was depressed, and with good reason. You-Know-Who was back, my boss and idol was murdered, and I was being held partially accountable. 

I woke up early, even for me, and layed in bed considering all this. I don't know exactly how long it was, but it was long enough for me to come to a few conclusions. The first, that I couldn't go on like this. I felt as though I was living in a dream, an extended state of shock. I can't operate that way. So, I needed to make what was happening around me seem **real**. I needed **closure**. 

My second conclusion, then, was that I needed to visit Mr. Crouch's grave. Kind of a morbid solution to my problem, I thought, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I hadn't seen it at all; maybe seeing it would give me the perspective I needed to go on. 

I rolled out of bed, happy with my decision, and pulled on some clothes. Downstairs, I discovered that my mother was also awake and fixing breakfast. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and informed her of my destination. She shot me one of those disapproving, concerned-mother looks. 

"Percy," she said gently, "it doesn't do any good to dwell on it, sweetheart." 

"I know, Mum." I had suspected this attitude from her. "It's just that, well, I'm trying to move on by doing this, do you see?" 

She nodded, but she didn't. I could tell. However, she knows me well enough to know that I was going to do this whether or not she liked it, and so she contented herself with offering me some breakfast before I went. I declined. I was afraid if I had any, I'd throw up on the gravestone. 

"Well, at least take an umbrella with you," she said, getting a black one from the hall closet. I looked out the window.

"Mum, it's going to be a gorgeous day. I don't **need** an umbrella."

"It's going to rain, Percy, I can feel it. Just take the umbrella. You'll thank me later."

I took it. You don't argue with my mother's premonitions. 

As I headed out, I looked back at her. "Mum?" I said. She turned.

"Don't tell the others where I've gone, will you? They'll just worry and tiptoe around me even more than usual." 

She gave me that look again, but nodded. 

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I couldn't do it. I couldn't go on like this. I especially couldn't sleep in a hotel five minutes away from the graveyard where they buried Cedric. It wasn't going to happen. How could my parents expect me to do this? 

They love me, I know they do. They even tried to be supportive of me after Cedric's death, but they just didn't understand how deeply connected we'd been. Sure, we were boyfriend and girlfriend, but we were more than that. We loved each other. OK, that didn't sound great. I'm only fifteen, and I know that. What I mean is, we loved each other as friends, not as... lovers, or whatever. 

But like I said, my parents didn't understand that. Their marriage was arranged. They're fond of each other, certainly, but as relationships go, theirs is little more than civil. They didn't understand how their daughter could care that deeply about someone of the opposite sex, even if it wasn't in a romantic sense. Therefore, they didn't understand what a great loss this was for me. 

So, naturally, they felt bad about whisking me off to go to a week of business dinners at Ministry headquarters five days after I came home from my fifth year at Hogwarts. Did that prevent them from going? Of course not, and I wouldn't have wanted it to. Father needed to be at these. They were essential to his career. Key people would be there. It was of immense importance that Wong Li Chang, his wife Lita, and their daughter, Cho, be there to mingle with the bigwigs. So basically, my father was going to attend seven days of all-day meetings concerning Ministry security and operations; at night, my mother and I would get all dressed up and go with him to Headquarters, where we'd get to eat and dance and impress rich people. What fun. 

To their credit, they did understand that I was shaken up from my previous year and the last thing I wanted to do was mingle. So, they shipped me off on the Friday before the meetings started and took me shopping and out to nice restaurants that day. It was their intention to also do so on Saturday and Sunday, to cushion the blow of the following week. That was all well and good. I appreciated the thought, even though it didn't make the pain lesson one bit. 

But then, they booked us up in a hotel practically next door to Cedric's grave, which I hadn't visited yet. And they expected me to **sleep** there. For nine days! Nope, nuh-uh, not gonna happen. 

They wouldn't move. They said it was the closest to the meeting place, that they'd take me to the graveyard at some point during the week if I wanted, that it was just a stone and I really shouldn't be so upset, that this was the only hotel for miles anyway... and they wouldn't move. 

So I didn't sleep at all Friday night. On Saturday morning I got dressed quickly and snuck out, then walked to the cemetery. 

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The cemetery for royalty and political heros in the magical world is called _Friedlich Ruhen_, which means _Peaceful Rest_ in German. It is referred to by that name because the Minister of Magic who founded the cemetary back in 1228 was of German heritage, and quite proud of it. He was also a little empty upstairs, if you ask me, because _Peaceful Rest_ is the dumbest name I've ever heard of for a cemetery. It sounds like a Muggle nursing home or something. When I'm Minister of Magic, my first act will be to change that confounded name to something better. What, I'm not sure. 

Anyway, I left The Burrow that Saturday not exactly sure where to Apparate to. I mean, I didn't want to just appear in the middle of a cemetary. That's just... too strange. I decided to Apparate in front of the Enchanted Gardens hotel, because I knew it was near Friedlich Ruhen. I knew that because my family had stayed there when I was about five, and I remember being creeped out by the graves nearby. I think I had nightmares about it, until Dad took me up there and showed me there wasn't really anything to be afraid of. Just a bunch of stones with inscriptions. I never imagined one of them would hold some kind of meaning for me. Most likely, a lot of them will hold some meaning for me in the years to come. 

Anyhow, I Apparated in front of the hotel still carrying my silly umbrella. It wasn't really embarrassing, though, because few people were out on the streets at this hour (it must have been about 6:30) on a Saturday. The sun was shining brightly, the grass was a brilliant green in honor of the dawn of summer, flowers were blooming everywhere, and yet sadness seemed to hang in the air. Perhaps it was because everything was so quiet. 

I could see the iron arch marking the entrance to the graveyard ahead of me, and I quickened my pace to reach it. It seemed as though the gravestones were everywhere, for miles and miles... and not a person in sight. Wait, yes there was. 

A small girl, or at least, she seemed small to me, was kneeling in front of a grave. She looked very upset, and I stepped away quickly so as not to disturb her. 

Now. Mr. Crouch's grave... where would they have put it? The Crouches were an old wizarding family, all covered in political glory, with the exception of Barty Crouch Jr., and his uncle Frederick, who had died in the military very young and had been distinguished there. 

Knowing this, the large group of graves that was the Crouches was relatively easy to find. Within fifteen minutes, I was standing in front of my former employer's tomb. 

I've seen several Muggle movies, since my father is infatuated with their way of life, and in all of them, when they go to pay their respects to the dead, they talk to the grave as though they were having a one-sided conversation with the dead person. I always found that a little odd, but I had never had experience with dead people before, so I decided to give it a try. 

Maybe it was because I was never that close to Mr. Crouch, no matter what I led my family to believe. Maybe it was because I was only nineteen and too much in shock of the entire situation to form a sensible sentence. All I know is, I stood there staring at the hard granite, into which was simply inscribed _Bartemius Crouch, Sr_., and I was at a complete loss for words. And then it began to rain. 

I stood there for a minute, thinking to myself that mothers must be born with a sixth sense. Letting the cool drops wash over me, making my hair stand up straight and completely soaking my clothes. I felt a kind of sense of peace, finality, and I knew that I would go home and be my bossy, disapproving self again, whether this was a good or bad thing. Then I put the umbrella up and began slowly to leave, not wanting to just disappear in the middle of a bunch of graves either. 

On my way out, I noticed the girl I had seen earlier was huddled up and beginning to walk slowly away; she looked like she'd just lost her best friend. I hurried to catch up with her, but as I did, I chanced a look at the place where she'd been standing. The gravestone read _Cedric Diggory: Les le meilleur dans tout de nous_. Oh, dear. That girl was probably one of his Hogwarts friends, and therefore not as young as she looked. I ran faster. 

"Excuse me?" I said, finally catching her. She stopped and gave me a strange look. "Um...yes?" 

"Get under the umbrella with me, would you? It's big enough for the both of us." When she hesitated, I added, "You look cold." Well, **there's** an astute observation from The Great Percy. 

She slowly stepped under the umbrella with me, looking, I thought, a little more cheerful in spite of herself. "Allow me to escourt you home," I said, feeling very much like an idiot but too disconnected from the situation to care. "Where to?" 

"We're – my family is – staying at the Enchanted Gardens." 

"Oh, good, we won't have to go too far then." 

I directed our steps toward the hotel. All the while, the mysterious girl remained dangerously close to me under our shelter, and we stayed silent. When I stole a few glances at her, I noticed she looked hardly aware of anything around her, including me. Her expression was one of absolute melancholy. 

As I let her off in front of the building, I was about to Disapparate when she turned around and gave me the first look of true recognition I had seen on her face. "Thank you, I mean, I'm sorry, I'm just a little...upset, you know, forgetting my manners. What's your name, anyway?" 

I was a little taken aback, and I barely managed to answer, "Percy Weasley, at your service."

"Cho Chang," she replied, giving me a half smile and shaking my hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine." 


	2. Default Chapter Title

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A Solace In The Silence

Part Two

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by Grace

A/N:Hi... Enjoy the mush. I hope you like mush. This is pretty mushy and maybe a little predictable (or maybe not, I dunno) but oh well. Also, a few things: I've been informed that my German translation of _Peaceful Rest_ was wrong, and, um, I'm sorry. I got that off an online translator. (Damn them!) In addition, to the person who said Mr. Crouch was turned into a bone: I know that. I kind of forgot to put it into the story, but for these purposes, let's just say the Ministry felt the need to give him a proper grave and all because, well, he was all political and involved and... um... stuff. Yeah. Er, well, I guess that's it. Your reviews (especially the nice ones) are REALLY appreciated, guys, thank you so much! :) Um... enjoy, I guess. 

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I was drenched after my little excursion, but I didn't really care. I made my way back up to my room, shut the door behind me, and leaned against it. The clock by my bed read 7:14. I had spent an entire night without sleep, and I was exhausted, but it didn't matter to me I wasn't concerned about myself, I was living outside of myself, I was going through the motions of my **life**. 

I unzipped my suitcase; I hadn't bothered to unpack the previous night. I laid my clothes out on the bed and finally chose a gray shirt and a black skirt: subdued colors to reflect my mood. After pulled them on, I grabbed my makeup case and sat down in front of the huge mirror in the bathroom. I mechanically applied blush, eye shadow, mascara, and lip gloss, but not lipstick, because I just don't like lipstick. And when I was done, I looked at myself in the mirror... and very nearly threw up.

I didn't look like myself. I didn't feel like myself. So far, I'd gotten advice from my friends, teachers, parents, and even a few people that I didn't know who all told me that this was a stage that would pass. Personally, I wouldn't have cared if it didn't. There didn't seem to be any reason to go on. Such a bright light in my life had gone out... and it had been extinguished by a force that would go on to destroy so many more. There was nothing to keep me going, not one single, solitary thing. 

At this point, my mother knocked on my door and told me to get up. I faked the noises of someone unwillingly rising from a very deep sleep, and told her I was coming. She replied that she and my father would be waiting for me in the Enchanted Garden's parlor for breakfast. Fifteen minutes later, when my hair had dried completely, I joined them. An hour later, we were in the middle of a shopping trip for the robes I would wear at the dinners – a separate one for each night. Of course, my parents were intent on spoiling me out of my grief, and insisted on buying horrifying amounts of expensive jewelry. It was very nice, and I pretended as best I could to be deliriously happy, but I wasn't. I don't think they knew that though. 

For lunch, we went to a fancy French restaurant, where I had some kind of chicken. Then my parents and I returned to the hotel, and I went down to the pool with a book. I sat in the same lawn chair for three hours and never turned a page. 

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I walked in the house in the middle of breakfast. Mum gave me a concerned look and offered me sausage, Dad chirped a distracted, "Morning, Percy," my way, Ron nodded in greeting, Fred and George chimed, "Hey, Perce," and Ginny regarded me with a suspicious look. I swear, that girl knows too much about me. 

To be honest, I was much too disturbed to do much else but incline my head very slightly and leave the room. I'm sure strange looks followed me, but I really didn't care at the moment. The thing that troubled me was not the absence of Mr. Crouch from this earth; in some way, I had come to terms with that in the past hour. What troubled me was Cho Chang. I didn't know why, but it was something about the look she had given me. It was completely **lifeless**, like she had just given up, which haunted me because I saw that in myself. 

I holed myself up in my room and starting working on a report the Ministry had assigned me, some paperwork regarding the upcoming security conferences. I had been invited, of course, as well as Dad and the rest of the family; they weren't all planning on attending, however. Because Ron didn't like big dinners, Fred and George were likely to blow up something, and Ginny and Mum staunchly maintained that they didn't have nearly enough dress robes, we had come to a compromise. The first six dinners of the week would be attended by only myself and Dad; as we were both expected to bring our family to mingle, we decided that they ought to come at least once, and they agreed to come on the last and most important night. 

Looking around at my room, it suddenly seemed way too small, like the walls were closing in on me. I felt suffocated. I couldn't write. I had to get out. I knew of a shady little spot on a nearby hill, under this fantastic old maple tree. I love that tree. I could sit there for hours, just watching the birds and thinking. I hardly needed to consider it before Apparating right to the very spot. 

Ginny found me after a time. I'm not sure how long it was, it could have been a few hours or fifteen minutes. Time is all relative when you're under that tree, even for a punctual control freak like myself. All I know is, she found me. I think she has Percy-seeking radar. 

She was silent as she sat by me; with Ginny, it's different than my other siblings. I always feel the need to **talk** to them, and I end up making a great prat out of myself. Or maybe they just _enjoy_ those cauldron bottom conversations. Yeah, that must be it... that's why they avoid me all the time. Yep. Uh-huh. 

I'm trying to fool myself again. It never works. 

She spoke after a few minutes. "Uh... So what'd you do this morning?"

"Oh, um, nothing."

"You mean, nothing you want to talk about?" 

I nodded. Ginny's intuitiveness frightens me sometimes. 

A few more minutes of silence passed, during which I observed a sparrow scouring the ground for a worm. Finally, it reached it's slimy goal and flew off to feed its flock. Birds have such a simple way of life. They don't need power or money or fame, like humans do. 

I guess something, some mysterious, impenetrable force, had been pressing on me for awhile or something, but I really did want to talk about it. What exactly I wanted to talk about, I don't know. That happens to me a lot – I can't find the words to express what I'm feeling, and say something stupid instead. Ginny's different though. 

"It's just that... I don't know. Something weird happened," I commented stupidly. She didn't feign understanding, just waited for me to complete the thought. 

"Do you know a Cho Chang?" 

The question hung in the air for a moment, and she then she looked at me, surprised. "Yeah... She was Cedric Diggory's girlfriend. You know, Cedric Diggory..."

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Was the one who died. "Yeah, I know. Wait, she was his most treasured possession or something, wasn't she?" I vaguely remembered her. I'd been concerned about Ron that day, and I really didn't take in as much as maybe I should have. 

"Yeah." 

We sat in the quiet again, and even though I'm sure Ginny was dying to ask why I wanted to know about Cho Chang, but she didn't. Ginny really is an amazing girl. Harry's an idiot not to notice, I think. 

The stillness of the trees and the world around us was a blessing. I love the quiet. It lets me think. Talking is highly overrated. 

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The rest of the weekend was a blur. I ate, shopped, and slept only during the daytime. At night, I stayed awake and thought, or wrote, or read. My parents were having a wonderful time, and thought I was too. 

On Monday, my father left for the first day of International Security Conferences at the Ministry. My mother and I spent the day by the poolside, stopping only at noon to order room service. I had some really delicious-looking pasta, but I didn't taste a thing. 

At five o'clock, I dressed for the dinner. My mother did as well; she outfitted herself in lilac satin dress robes with intricately embroidered flowers. Her hair was held back in an complicated-looking kind of twist. My mother really is beautiful. 

I didn't really care what I wore to this stupid thing, but to please my parents, I pulled on light blue, v-neck robes and a silver necklace. I left my hair down and unornamented, but my mother didn't like that and did something with it. I'm not sure what. I wasn't feeling especially observant. 

Father came to the hotel straight from the conferences, which gave him about a half an hour to put on some nicer dress robes. Then he complimented both me and my mother, and called us a cab. Before I knew it, we were in front of Ministry headquarters. 

Let me tell you, as apathetic as I was toward the whole thing, it was really a sight to see. The building is huge and granite; stone gargoyles, which looked way too lifelike for my taste, sit out front. There's a long set of very wide, carpeted stairs, and some beautiful red flowers bloom year-round in the front to complete the image. 

And the _inside_, oh Lord. The carpet is a deep, rich burgundy; there are gold trimmings everywhere. Fairy lights were strung up all over, making the place look polished and enchanting. The perfect setting for a mass gathering of monotonous social introductions, I thought. 

Dinner was fine, I guess. I ended up seated between Father and a fleshy, red-faced man who kept calling for more clams and wine. He had an unpleasant scent of burning leaves and charcoal. However, the food itself was quite good, even for my listless standards. I listened politely to the table talk of politics and hunting weather and Quidditch, nodding my head occasionally so that I wouldn't fall asleep on my plate. I was dreading the after dinner part. It came all too soon. 

I followed my parents as the crowd dispersed into the ballroom, which was pretty much all white marble. Of course, then they went off to go talk to some important people from the Department of Misuse of Magic, or something like that, and I found myself in a far corner observing the scene. I helped myself to some elderberry wine. 

I had lost track of time after awhile, just watching the different hues of robes and hair and skin tone swirl together, like a disorganized rainbow. I guess I zoned out. 

At any rate, I soon sensed a presence behind me and turned to see... Percy Weasley. He smiled weakly at me. I was caught off guard, and it took me a second to return a polite grin. 

"Hello," he said. 

"Er...hi." 

"Are you Wong Li Chang's daughter, then?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." He stood beside me a for a few more minutes, and finally gave me a shrewd, searching look. I hate it when people look at me like that. It makes me nervous. I pretended not to notice, anyway, and said something to make him stop.

"So... I just realized, after I came home, where I've seen you before. You were a Triwizard judge once, weren't you?"

"Um... yeah. I was, um, working under Mr. Crouch."

"Oh." Then I realized that I'd heard that name mentioned by father, something at the dinner table a few nights ago... "Oh. Wasn't he....um...?"

"Yes," said Percy Weasley quietly. Oh, why was he standing there? I barely knew him, anyway, why couldn't he just go try to impress his boss or something? 

"I probably should go now," he said, as though reading my mind. "But I must confess, I really hate mingling. I'm awful at it. I can't just talk to people, like that." 

Well, I guess there was some sense in that. I said nothing. 

"You think I'm crazy?" he said after a moment. 

I shook my head slowly, staring at the dancers as they began a waltz. "No. No, I don't. I really know what you mean." 

He looked really surprised, and seemed to be considering something. After a moment, "Would you like to dance?" 

Oh, great. **Wonderful.** A gangling nineteen-year-old redhead that I met in a graveyard was now asking me to dance two weeks after my boyfriend was murdered by Lord Voldemort. 

I gave him a polite smile, left my wine glass on a nearby table, and accepted. He led me out on the floor, and for a moment all I could think of or see was Cedric; Cedric leading me on the floor, Cedric's eyes giving me that, that **look** that he had... But I soon forgot that, I was concentrating so hard on trying not to bump into anyone on the crowded dance floor. 

Percy was a decent dancer, to be sure. Well, I wouldn't put him up to disco, but he was okay at waltzes. He dances differently than Cedric; with Cedric it had always been so _natural_. Percy held onto me very carefully, as though I were a piece of good china he thought he'd break, and yet very tightly, as though he couldn't let go. It was strange, yes, but actually a nice sensation in my world of indifference.

The music was slow, mournful, a little depressing and reassuring in its steady beat all at the same time. We didn't talk; we didn't need to. Besides, the room was loud enough anyway. 

I swear that song lasted forever. It was one of those moments that sort of suspends itself in time and burns itself in your memory, for no reason that's apparent to you at its happening. I guess it's because that was the first time I'd forgotten Cedric in months. Not to say I forgot him because I was swept off my feet by Percy, but because I had to figure how not to step on anyone's feet.

The song ended after a few minutes, and Percy asked me if I wanted to go take a walk and get some air. I nodded, grateful he didn't try to make me dance again, and followed him out the door. 

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I don't know what possessed me. Why was I talking to some poor fifteen-year-old I didn't even _know_? I met Cho Chang in a **graveyard**, we said maybe two sentences to each other, she gave me a weird look, and now I was dancing with her at corporate parties when I should be mixing with my superiors! All right, nevermind I wasn't any good at talking to my superiors and generally always ended up fetching drinks for some important head of department, it was what I _should've_ been doing. But oh no, I had to go stalk some poor girl who obviously wanted to be, and should've been, left alone. 

If that wasn't enough, I took her on a walk. A walk! What was I planning on doing, I'd like to know? Making out with her in the bushes a few weeks after her boyfriend bought the farm? Smooth move, Perce. 

OK, actually, though I didn't know myself very well at the moment (I always lose my perspective in crowds), I **can** attest to the honor of my intentions. Cho looked rather stifled and pale, and, well, I was a little worried about her. Besides, the immense about of bodies stuffed in the room was making it a little hard to breathe. 

Walking outside was a kind of relief, really. The air was brisk, the night was beautiful, the moon full... ugh. A full moon couldn't be a good sign. I believe in the power of a full moon. 

Cho seemed to, too. She kept looking at the sky mournfully, like she expected Cedric to come flying down out of the black hole. (He didn't.) I stayed completely quiet, because that's just the way I am. The stillness of the night was almost eerie. 

In our circles around the building, we came across a bench, and I asked Cho if she'd like to sit down. She did, and we sat, looking anywhere but at each other. I was reminded strongly of the early days with Penny, when we had been friends and I'd had the most horrible crush on her. Only I didn't have a crush on Cho. Not that she wasn't pretty or nice or anything, but honestly, even looking back on it now, I can tell you that I really, really, really didn't. How could I have a crush on someone I just met? In a graveyard? Who was four years younger than myself? 

After awhile, the tranquility started to bug me. "Sickle for your thoughts?" I said, turning to Cho. From the look on her face, she had a lot of thoughts. 

She gave me a weird look then. I didn't understand it until much later, when I knew Cho better and I understood what had been going on in her life up to the moment I uttered those four words. So, at the time, I thought it was a really weird look. Then she answered me so softly that I could barely hear the words. 

"You don't really want to know, Percy, but since you asked... I was thinking about the stars." 

What? "The... um... stars?" 

"Yep. I was thinking," she continued in a more sure tone, "about how I used to wish on them, and how the wish never came true. I used to get so mad, because I was always told as a child that when you wish on a star, you know, it comes true. And it didn't. Went against all the fairy tales I ever learned, not that my parents ever told me any, but I had this one uncle who always told me stories like that. 'Foolish nonsense,' my father called it. It probably was, but I didn't really learn that until my uncle died. He died the year I came to Hogwarts. I wished on a star, a falling one, no less, for him to come back. He didn't." 

I stared at her.

"Um... yeah, that was probably a long, stupid topic of conversation, for which I will be heartily embarrassed tomorrow," she said, flushing a little. 

"No. It wasn't." 

"Yeah, right. Don't tell the clown he's not wearing too much makeup." 

"No, seriously. I learned more about you as a person in those ten sentences than I've learned about all my brothers in nineteen years of living with them." 

She looked a little shocked. We sat in silence for a few more minutes, then headed inside. Before I knew it, the ball was over and I was at home in bed, but I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about what she'd said, and about how I had never, in my life, ever wished on a star. Maybe it was time to start doing things like that. 


	3. Default Chapter Title

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A Solace In The Silence

Part Three

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by Grace

A/N: Attention everyone! This part is pretty much fluff, but if you like it, I really need to know, because... well. I've gotten several wonderful reviews, but for the most part, does anyone really care about this series? I've had 100-something views on the last part and 7 reviews! Please, review and tell me if I need to keep going. And, also, this part is dedicated to those of you who did review and said such wonderful things about me! I love you guys! *sniff* Yep, well... I don't anything. On with the story. 

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Tuesday passed in a blur of blue sky and sun. Before I knew it, the evening had come, and with it, the arrival of another ball. I wasn't looking forward to it, but the prospect of the tremendous crowd of arrogant-looking people was softened a little knowing that I had a friend, or rather, an acquaintance, among them. 

I'm a firm believer that things happen for a reason, and I guess maybe I thought in the back of my mind that maybe that was why I met Percy, that maybe that was why I felt so drawn to see Cedric's grave when I did. I don't mean that I thought I was destined to find Percy because I knew he was my one true soulmate, or anything so stupid as that; actually, quite the opposite. I just wanted a friend. A **real** friend, not one of the members of the crowd I went around with. It's not that _they_ weren't nice, or anything like that, it's just that they were so **false** about everything. I remember how they all used to giggle and tell me what a great _catch_ I'd made when I was going out with Cedric. It was so annoying and stupid, because every one of them was congratulating me only to cover her jealousy. With Percy, it was very different. 

So, I wasn't dreading this ball as much as I had been because I'd at least know someone present, and it was a little easier to feel happy for my parents. Don't misunderstand, I was still practically a dead girl walking, but one of the smaller weights had been lifted from my shoulders. I was grateful for that. 

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The Tuesday meetings were more than dull. The atmosphere was stiff; the Ministry had split itself into two parties regarding... something. I don't actually know. Although normally I am the soul of focus at my job, the room was so hot and stuffy and _boring_ that I wasn't of a mind to pay much attention. I sat in my seat and glued a look of intense concentration on my face so I could think about... Cho. Well, not _just_ Cho, but she was what started the thought process. I thought about her; which made me think about Cedric Diggory; which made me think about Voldemort's return; which made me think about the chaos we were about to enter; which made me think of Harry, my brother's friend; God knows what that would have made me think about, because then the meetings were finally over. 

I went home, showered, changed dress robes, and Apparated back to Headquarters with Father. 

The decorations and the food were both as magnificent as they had been the previous evening; the company was just as well-to-do as before; the night was just as starry. No matter how much I may complain over the years about my job (it seems to be a habit acquired with age), I will say one thing for the Ministry: they can throw one hell of a party. 

And, just as previously, the whole party retired to the dancing hall when dinner was over. Father abandoned me to my own designs and went to chat with his partner. I, for my own part, looked around and instantly spotted Cho.

She was standing around in the corner again, and she seemed to be looking through the crowd as well, for some reason. At the same instant, our eyes met. She smiled slightly, and I made my way toward her. 

We didn't talk for a long time. What was there to talk about? I myself have never seen the point of talking anyway. I feel so much more comfortable in the silence. 

Finally, she turned and gave me a look that I instantly understood. Just as before, we made our way outside. 

We walked around the building and said very little; I was in a rare state of bliss. This was the first person, besides Ginny, that I could be with without trying to verbalize what I was thinking. As for Cho, I think she was relieved too; not because she's as anti-social as myself, but because I think she was tired of putting up a grieving yet cheerful front for the world. 

Finally, she spoke. 

"So, Percy. I've met you three times now, and I know nothing about you. Tell me about yourself." 

"Uh... I don't... really know what to say..." 

"Fine." Then she began to interrogate me in military fashion. "Middle name?" 

"Rupert."

"Favorite color?" 

"Ah... gray."

That was the color of Cho's eyes, but I didn't realize it until later.

"How many siblings, and what are their names and ages?" 

"Bill, 24; Charlie, 22; Me, 19; Fred and George, 17; Ron, 15; Ginny, 14." 

"Girlfriend?" 

"...No."

"Most interesting thing about you that I would never guess?"

"Um... I'm wearing blue plaid boxers right now?" 

I don't think I expected myself to say that any more than she did, but it was worth any embarrassment. She laughed. I must say, it was the first time I had heard her laugh in as long as I had known her, and I was really surprised. Then, she quieted down just as suddenly as she had begun to laugh, and we were silent again for some time. And _then,_ without warning, I heard sort of stifled whimpering and looked over to see Cho, stopped short and sobbing hysterically. Under the sky and all the stars, outside of a building full of the biggest political celebrities in the magical world, with a boy she'd just met, Cho was releasing all the grief that had been building up inside of her since Cedric's death.

I highly doubt you will ever understand how awkward that moment was for me. I wouldn't wish that you would, certainly. 

____________________

Damn him. Damn Percy Weasley! He made me laugh. He made me forget the boy who was quite possibly the love of my life, for an instant. Damn him! 

I knew I shouldn't feel guilty. I was aware, in the back of my mind, that Cedric would have wanted me to laugh again. I felt like a traitor anyway. 

And, Percy, oh _damn_ him! He made me laugh, which made me cry, which made him really, really embarrassed. And confused. He didn't know what to do with himself, and for the life of me, I could not stop crying. 

"Cho?" he said, finally, a little uncertainly. "I'm, uh... I'm sorry." He hesitantly put his hand on my shoulder. "Shhhhh... Shhhh... It's okay..." he soothed. Nervously. 

Damn him. 

____________________

Eventually, Cho stopped crying. The situation was beyond self-consciousness at that point. 

"I'm sorry, Percy," she said, wiping her eyes. We started walking again, and I removed my hand from her shoulder. "It's just that... I don't know. I don't think I'm strong enough to deal with this." A pause. "You know, I just feel like I lost the only person I could connect with... I just put so much of **myself** into him... That part of me's gone now. Oh, gosh. Like you really want to know. I'm sorry, Percy, you'd better go back in there and... socialize, or something. I'm just going to bring you down or bore you."

I stared at her. In the dark, I could just barely see her face. I was dimly aware that we'd stopped again. 

"No... Actually, quite the opposite. I'm glad to be out here. I'm glad you're telling me this. I'm **honored **you're telling me this. You need to let it out, Cho." 

She stared at me... I think it was in disbelief. We started walking again. 

"You know, I've only had one girlfriend in my life," I said thoughtfully after awhile. "We went out for – geez, it must have been two years. I really did love her, you know, the way young people love. All or nothing. Well, I know it's nothing like what you're going through, but we broke up shortly after I left Hogwarts. It was too much to stay together, too much distance, and neither one of us was ready to put that much effort into a relationship. Still, I felt amputated after the fact. Like I'd just lost my best friend. God knows I could always talk to her. But... it was gone. I just sort of let everything build up inside of me and never let it out. It took me forever to get over her. Actually, I don't know that I'm over her now... Yeah, well... I think there was a point to that story..."

"There was," she said. "Thank you, Percy."

"For?"

"For staying." 

____________________

Percy stood by me and understood me in a way no one else in my world did, at least, no one alive. He kept it up all through the week, at every single ball. We either went outside and walked around or stayed in the building and danced. We came to an understanding to mingle for the first thirty minutes of the party, however, because we were starting look... well... bad. 

I learned a lot about Percy from those nights, and I think I told him more about myself than I'd ever told anybody, Cedric excepted. I learned that he was a workaholic, and very ambitious; he had been Prefect and Head Boy, which I vaguely remembered. My life before Cedric seemed like another universe. 

I learned that Percy was only really close to his sister; and I inferred, because he never told me, that he really loved his brothers more than they would ever know. He told me about all of them: about how he'd always looked up to Bill, about how Charlie kept bringing pets home throughout his childhood and now trained them for a living, about how Fred and George were already looking to start their own company, about how Ron was growing up way too fast and already head over heels for some girl. He mentioned that one of Ron's friends was Harry Potter, and I gulped but said nothing. Percy then realized what he'd said, and changed the subject. 

My parents couldn't have been more thrilled that I was at least talking to someone, even if it wasn't them or any important people. 

I spent the days sleeping, mostly. I went down to the pool a few times. But mostly, I slept. I dreamt about Cedric, but they weren't nightmares like they had been in the days after his death. They were peaceful dreams of him telling me things would be fine, not to worry, he'd always love me but I had to move on, and so on and so on. They were a great comfort to me. 

Things were looking up. 

____________________

I was sort of in a fog for the rest of the week. I went to the meetings, even paid attention and made suggestions at a few; Fred and George didn't play any – okay, well maybe a few – stupid tricks on me, and Ron got a letter from Hermione and was therefore in a good mood. He also got a letter from Harry, though this didn't have half of the effect of Hermione's, and Harry would be staying with us shortly. In fact, Harry was going to come on Saturday. This was all well and good until we figured that that was a day before they promised to come to the ball. Therefore, Dad checked with some official who told him to just go ahead and bring Harry, because he was who he was. 

Cho and I began to talk to each other more and more, and I began to consider her my friend. And, by degrees, I forgot to be self-conscious around her. 

I made a few other acquaintances at the parties, including Lucius Malfoy's wife and some guy named Gorr. He spoke about three words of English. Weird. 

Most of my time was spent with Cho, however, and I wouldn't have had it any differently. 

____________________

I was kind of sad when Sunday night rolled around. I'd be going home; I'd be going home with my parents; I'd have no one to listen to me talk, or to talk to. I was going to go crazy. 

I knew Percy would write me, though, and it wasn't like I didn't have friends. None of them were very good friends, but they'd serve the purpose of distraction just fine. Therefore, I just resolved to get through Sunday so I could go home and be away from the wretched graveyard. 

My mother made me wear jewelry, and do absurd things with my hair. I ended up wearing a silvery-gray kind of fabric, and remembered as I put it on that that was Percy's favorite color. Strange. 

The Ministry building was even more beautiful than it had been the previous six nights. I suppose they wanted to save the best for last. 

As I came in, my attention was immediately attracted to a large group of redheads. I smiled as I realized they were probably Percy's family; then I spotted a black head amongst them, and realized with a start that it was Harry. 

Harry who had asked me to the Yule Ball. 

Harry the Hogwarts champion. 

Harry the Gryffindor seeker. 

Harry who had been with Cedric when he died. 

Oh, great. There went my resolutions to have a good time. 


	4. Default Chapter Title

A Solace In The Silence

Part Four

********************

**__**

by Grace

____________________

__

A/N: Well... this is strange. Not sure how good or bad it is... picks up right after Harry and Cho see each other. As always, please R/R, and thanks SO much to those of you who have been. I love you guys! Oh great, now I'm gonna cry... ^_^

____________________

Harry was just as shocked to see me as I was to see him; his face was covered in confusion and it was all he could do to muster an awkward half-smile. Two of the Weasleys, I assumed Ron and Ginny, kept looking from him, to me, back to him again, with something of the same confusion I felt in their expressions. The twins, that I knew from Percy as Fred and George, or perhaps George and Fred, weren't paying any attention to the situation; they were gaping at some blond girl in rather too tight dress robes. Percy himself had been talking to his parents, but chose the exact moment Harry and I set eyes on each other to turn around. 

Needless to say, it was a disconcerting predicament.

To be quite honest, even as close as it was to Cedric's death at that time, I didn't blame Harry. I didn't _blame _anyone. The reason I was so upset had nothing, or at least very little, to do with Harry himself. I think it was more the fact that seeing him brought back memories of Cedric, and the events of two weeks ago, that I wasn't ready to face. 

Whether or not I was ready, though, facing them was the first step out of this... this... whatever it was. Some part of me must have realized it then, but it didn't matter. Seeing Harry made me feel like I'd dumped my head in a bucket of ice water. 

I ended up seated next to Ginny Weasley at dinner, rather than the fat man. I was sort of glad of it, and sort of not, because Harry Potter was on her other side. Once, he even asked me to pass the pudding. 

Images of Cedric seemed to be boiling up inside of me from the moment I saw Harry to the end of dinner; I felt like a volcano ready to erupt. 

And erupt I did, in my own way. 

____________________

Harry and Cho. Cho and Cedric. Cedric and Harry. Nice going, Perce. 

To be honest, the connection between the three of them hadn't crossed my mind, or maybe I just thought Harry and Cho wouldn't see each other. God only knows. 

At any rate, they **did **see each other, and it was not a pleasant site. To say the least. 

She kept getting paler and more withdrawn throughout dinner – I was watching her closely. I knew as soon as I saw her face in the entrance hall that she wouldn't deal with this very well, and I was quite right. 

She made a run for it as the crowd was heading to the ballroom. I saw her leave through the shuffle, but the place was too crowded for me to follow her. I kept on into the dance hall, figuring that if she didn't come back in a few minutes, I'd see what had happened to her. 

She didn't come back in a few minutes. She didn't come back in half an hour, during which time I danced a waltz with my little sister and attempted to prevent Fred and George from dismantling anything. My other reason for staying was to watch Harry, though I figured Ginny and Ron were doing enough of that as it was. Ron didn't leave his side. 

While I was dancing with Ginny, who was remarkably more graceful than I would've guessed, one of the bigwig Ministry people pulled Harry aside rather forcefully and said something very jovial to him. Harry looked annoyed beyond reason. 

The man, whom I later recognized as the Assistant Minister of Magic, did not merely stop at trying to talk to Harry. He actually pulled Harry to the front of the room by the band, performed a voice enhancement spell on himself, and quieted the band. 

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen." He was tall, with thinning brown hair and a very well kept beard. I later noticed that his face was perpetually red. 

"We have come here tonight," he boomed, "to celebrate a new era in the magical community. A time when we will continue to grow and learn as a society, to explore new spells and enjoy technology previously unknown to our forefathers. Yes, it is a happy time for us indeed. But there was a time," he continued in a faux grave tone, tightening his grip on Harry's shoulder so the poor fellow couldn't escape, "when it was not so bright and happy. The world was covered in darkness, until there came a light that extinguished forever the infernal evil. In short, I give you our savior, Harry Potter, ladies and gentlemen!" The crowd, with the exception of my family, clapped loudly. Harry got a couple screams and whistles, too. 

Cornelius Fudge was looking more and more unhappy during this little speech, and he then motioned ever-so-slightly to his partner to cut it out. Harry, it seemed, quite agreed, and tried to break the man's grip. He succeeded, and very discreetly left the room. Ron had the good sense to let Harry wander off. 

Ginny turned to me. Her eyes were glowing brightly; she well understood the situation. 

"He'll be okay," I said reassuringly. She nodded; and I realized I'm an idiot sometimes. I underestimate my sister. She knew very well he'd be okay, but she was worried about him anyway, because she understood at least partly what was running through his head. She didn't feel the need to tell me this, though.

"Go talk to Cho," she said quietly. "She needs it, Perce." 

I nodded and left the ballroom without another word, pushing my way past the silks and the cashmere and the cigar smoke to the doors in the hallway.

The air was cold, despite the fact that it was June, and I could instantly tell that it was going to rain in a very short while. It was very dark outside, and the small sliver of the moon gave off so little light that I could barely see. It was quite lucky that I had a feeling I'd find Cho where I did. 

She was sitting on the bench we'd sat on at the first ball; if I imagined I'd find her distraught and weeping, it was nothing to the state she was actually in. 

Her beautiful dress was torn in several places; the necklace she had been wearing was gone; she only had one sparkling diamond earring; her hair was positively standing up; she looked as though she was fighting tears; and she seemed for all the world to be so wrapped up in her thoughts that she noticed none of this. 

____________________

Percy came to find me, as I knew he would when I ditched the crowd. He stood in front of me. The wind whipped his hair; he was quite taller than I'd imagined. I looked up into his face and saw genuine concern there, and for a moment I didn't worry about Cedric. Only a moment. 

"What happened, Cho?" he said softly. He still stood, gazing at me with a kind of pity I didn't want from him. I heard myself speak with a quivering voice that I felt no desire to control. 

"I was ru-running... I had to get away from there, Percy, seeing Harry, it just brings back so much... I ca-can't help it!" I sobbed, finally letting the tears out. 

He stood in front of me for a moment longer. His expression was hard to read in the dark. All I know is that I blinked, and then his arms were around me and I was crying into his shoulder and I just felt _better _somehow. 

I don't know how long we stayed like that... I think I've kind of blocked it out. I do remember that Percy smelled distinctly of peppermint and evergreen trees, and that he mended my robes for me, and recovered my jewelry with a Summoning Charm. And then it started to rain.


	5. Default Chapter Title

A Solace In The Silence

Part Five

********************

**__**

by Grace

A/N: It's done! It's FINALLY done! I apologize so much for the wait, thank all of you for your incredibly wonderful and kind reviews, and meekly ask you if I could have some more? There's one more part coming, and I don't have a very clear idea of how I want to go about it. Your comments and criticism and ideas are ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS appreciated beyond belief... I love you guys! ^_^ Have fun...

____________________

I spent the rest of the night trying to pull Cho together. When the rain started, we sat just inside the doors, with our backs to the wall. No one bothered us. 

At the end of the night, we said a polite good-bye and promised to write. I went home with my family and Harry and locked myself in my room for a bit. I stared at the wall, and the scenes of the past few hours flashed before my eyes, though the whole thing was a bit blurry. The rain slammed against the window. After awhile, Ginny knocked on my door. 

"Hey," she said, sitting down beside me in her nightdress. 

"Hey."

"Was Cho all right?" 

I sighed, and gave Ginny my honest opinion. "No, she... she really wasn't. How could she be? But, she'll get there... eventually. Harry?" 

It was her turn to sigh. "I don't know. After he left, I snuck out to find him – Ron was in a state of shock. I did find him, after awhile. I tried to talk to him, but... it just didn't work. I'm willing to bet he won't talk to Ron either." 

My sister is easier to talk to than anyone I've ever met. If she couldn't get Harry to open up, Ron wouldn't have much success either. Moreover, Ron's too scared of tense situations like that to exert himself much to start the conversation. Harry was just going to have to be silent, then. I felt sort of bad about this; at least Cho was _trying _to move on. 

__

Ginny and I talked about trivial things for a bit, and then she left. I couldn't sleep, though. I wrote Cho a letter, sent Hermes out, laid down, tried to sleep, couldn't, went to the kitchen for some warm milk...

And found Harry down there, doing the same thing. 

I was sort of surprised to see him for a minute, but then I decided I might as well make the most of the opportunity. 

"Hey, Harry," I said, almost cautiously. 

"What are you doing up?" Defensive. Great.

"Couldn't sleep. You?" 

"Oh... yeah." 

I poured my milk and sat down beside him. He spoke. 

"Ginny said you were talking to Cho." A beat. "Was she okay?" 

I sighed. Why did people keep asking me that? How was I supposed to know if Cho was okay or not? The way she'd sobbed into my shoulder, I really couldn't be sure. 

"She's getting there. I mean, I think she's... letting it out, you know? That's the first step." 

He looked a little surprised (probably wondering when I was going to start talking about cauldron bottoms) and a little wary, but he said nothing. I decided to go a little further, for his sake. 

"You know, far be it from me to tell you how to live your life. God knows I've made a mess of mine, " I said, though the last part wasn't really to Harry. He stared at me, thoroughly puzzled. "But if I have any right to say anything to you, Harry, as your best friend's older brother, it would be that maybe you should take a leaf out of Cho's book." 

The green eyes narrowed. "You're right Percy, you really have no right to tell me how to live my life." 

"Fine. Point taken. I was just thinking, you know... I've always been the kind to bottle things up, Harry. Do you remember where I was when Ginny was taken into the Chamber of Secrets?" 

"Um... you were... in the dormitory?" 

"Exactly. I wasn't coping very well, let's just say. Do you know what I did when I broke up with Penny?"

"Didn't know you had," he said disinterestedly. 

"Moped. Wouldn't talk to anyone for months, until Ginny finally got through to me. And then I got it out, and I could breathe again. Do you know what the point of this conversation is?" 

"No." I could tell he didn't really care, but I didn't care that he didn't, so we were on level ground. 

"That I've been there. Maybe my circumstances were different, and a whole lot less tragic or life-scarring, but the point is that I get what's going on here." 

Harry shrugged. I suspected he was trying not to blow up at me. Obviously, it was time to leave. 

____________________

I remember going back to the hotel. I remember being vaguely glad that we wouldn't have to spend one more godforsaken night there. I remember collapsing on my bed and staring at the ceiling. I remember getting a letter from Percy, although I still have no idea how his owl knew where to find me. 

And other than that, I remember nothing of that night. 

____________________

It rained all night. I know this because I was up until the very early hours of the next day. I guess that if I hadn't been a bit young, I would've considered it a mid-life crisis. 

Meeting Cho had been a strange experience. This past week had felt like... I don't know, like a nightmare... or a dream. It occurred to me that even as she was a little broken in her grief, she was still the most impetuous, fun, thoughtful person I could have ever hoped to meet at a stifling business ordeal. And it occurred to me that maybe it was only because I had given her a chance to _talk _to me – unlike my brothers. 

And then it happened that I realized something. It flashed across my brain quickly... but it left things to be considered. It was a realization that had been a long time in coming. 

I was living my life... wrong. Wrong_ly. _Whatever. 

My family barely recognized my existence. I didn't _have _any friends. The sole pursuit of my _being_ was my ambition. It was what I did because I didn't have anything else. 

I came to the conclusion, based on the last week and a number of nameless feelings that had been brewing inside me for a long time without my comprehending it, that _that _was what needed to change. I needed to... well... get a _life. _

____________________

I was so glad to be home. You can't possibly imagine it. My experiences at the Ministry's stupid party had only served to heighten my awareness of a need for normalcy. My sense of security had been ravaged. The only comfort I had had, in the past month, at least, was meeting Percy. I found him refreshing and relieving, even if he was quite possibly the polar opposite of Cedric. The one thing they shared was that both of them would _listen _to me, which was something I needed more than anything during that time.

He and I sent each other letters over the next couple of weeks; his were comforting without meaning to be. Mine were full of memories and misplaced grief, full of the past tense. I was _living _in the past tense. Percy was like a lifeline from the present, and he was a blessing in his own right, too. If he was going to listen, then I was going to have to talk. 


End file.
